June 4, 2004 - The Plugin Site (www.thepluginsite.com) released Version 2.0 of ColorWasher, a Photoshop-compatible plugin for correcting the colors, contrast, exposure and saturation of 8bit and 16bit photos. ColorWasher takes photo correction to a new level of accuracy and speed. With its help even beginners are capable of doing photo corrections within seconds that only experts were able to produce in the past.

New in Version 2.0

ColorWasher 2.0 offers a greatly improved color and exposure correction and a vast amount of other new features and improvements. Color casts are better removed from the shadows, red and orange casts are treated more effectively and the automatic exposure fixing works much more reliable and effective. ColorWasher now supports 16bit images and processes huge images with little RAM and renders faster. Its dialog is resizable and tab sheets with many new features were added. The new saturation feature lets you adjust the image with the help of 10 different saturation methods and the new Histo tab displays 10 histogram types in four different styles. Other improvements include Contrast Boost option, highlight and shadow contrast sliders, exposure correction in EV units, a Multiple option for mirroring the split views, color cast statistics, identification of blown highlights and preference settings among many others.

Overview

ColorWasher features a wide range of automatic, semi-automatic and manual tools for correcting, enhancing and restoring photos. It is very easy to use as it offers interactive explanations and hints for each feature, incorporates an Easy Mode and detailed step-by-step instructions in the manual. ColorWasher lets you do professional photo corrections within seconds and also offers a Cloak mode for processing dozens of images very quickly.

ColorWasher can be used on digital photos as well as scanned photos. It even achieves great results on old and faded photos. But you can also use ColorWasher to enhance web graphics, drawings, cartoons, paintings or screen shots. Moreover, if you want to create artistic and stylish color or b/w effects, ColorWasher lets you correct photos and apply impressive color effects in one step.

Revolutionary Algorithms

ColorWasher's revolutionary algorithms help you to turn even the worst photo into a delightful visual experience. Unlike other tools ColorWasher contains seven sophisticated methods called Cast Types for reconstructing lost colors and details in photos. ColorWasher's exposure correction features are superior to simple brightness and gamma correction methods used in known graphics applications and plugins. It also features built-in mechanisms for hiding image noise, camouflaging overexposed areas, boosting contrast, keeping saturation constant and fixing chopped histograms.

An Arsenal of Tools

ColorWasher provides five different automatic methods for achieving perfect results with photos that have a wide range of different color problems. Even more powerful is the semi-automatic sample area feature, which lets the user select a white or gray image area for correcting the color cast. Additionally there are twelve different Split View modes that let you visually perform photo corrections with the help of color or exposure stripes and grids that are laid over the image. The manual controls include source and target color boxes, three sliders adjustable to five different color models, a color picker, a color dialog and a lightness balance button. You can also manually enter the color temperature, open and save presets and process photos in one batch with Cloak Mode.

As far as Contrast and Exposure are concerned, ColorWasher offers Auto Contrast and Exposure Fix features, which can be set to three or five different levels. In addition to these two automatic features, you can also adjust the contrast and exposure manually in percent and EV values, alter the highlights or shadows and change saturation using 10 different methods. Experts can also view 10 different histogram types in four styles to supervise the correction.

Why ColorWasher Is Different

ColorWasher was developed because of the lack of color correction tools that combine precision, speed and ease of use. Many available tools have insufficient automatic modes, don't manage to remove color casts completely or demand expert knowledge to be used properly. Some even make photos look worse or seduce the user to overdo the correction. ColorWasher is the first tool that performs 100% precise corrections within seconds and is flexible as well as very easy to use. It also guides the user with interactive comments and explanations. Additionally ColorWasher makes it very hard for inexperienced people to unintentionally apply destructive corrections. Best of all, ColorWasher saves you precious time when correcting photos and is available for an affordable price.

Availability & System Requirements

ColorWasher is available for Windows. A Macintosh version is planned. ColorWasher sells at $49.95 (Regular License) or $29.95 (Academic/Educational License). It can be purchased at http://www.thepluginsite.com/products/photowiz. A demo version can be downloaded at the same URL.